Lonely
98 Degrees Lyrics


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I caught myself again
Laying in bed staring at your picture
I told myself I wouldn't do that anymore
The afternoon is my morning
It's almost 4 pm before I get up and drag myself out the door
It's like my whole world is in slow-mo
And I lost the one thing that made it go, oh, oh, oh
So now I just walk around reliving that moment
I so lonely
If I knew then what I know now
I wouldn't keep calling and hanging up
Cause I'm so lonely

The answers always seem to come after the damage is done
Life's little way of laughing in your face
I can't un-break the broken heart
So I sympathize by letting me fall apart, whoa oh

Now I just walk around reliving that moment
I'm so lonely
And if I knew then what I know now
I wouldn't keep calling and hanging up
I'm so lonely

And punishment
I deserve for what I did, anything but this
Baby, slap me in my face, ignore me for three days
Please don't go and stay away

So now I just walk around reliving that moment
I'm so lonely
If know then what I knew now
I wouldn't keep calling and hanging up, yeah
I'm so lonely, lonely, oh ho, lonely, lonely, whoa oh




I can do it baby, I can do it baby
I'm so lonely, so lonely

Overall Meaning

The song "Lonely" by 98 Degrees portrays a story of a man who regrets his past mistake of losing the love of his life. The song begins with the singer describing how he can't stop thinking about his former lover, to the extent that he sometimes spends all day laying in bed staring at her picture. He explains how slowly his day passes by as if his whole world is in slow motion, and sadly mentions losing the one thing that made it go. He then goes on to recount his regrets, thinking about what he would do differently if only he knew what he knows now. The song progresses to the point where the singer has come to the realization that there is nothing he can do to reverse the damage that he has done, and he must suffer the consequences of his actions. He then asks for any form of punishment aside from the loneliness that he is feeling, showing just how much he regrets his past mistakes.


One possible interpretation of the song is that the singer is warning people not to take their loved ones for granted, as they are unlikely to realize what they have until it is already gone. The lyrics paint a very vivid picture of the pain felt at the loss of a loved one, highlighting how difficult it is to move on after losing that special someone. The song is very relatable to those who have experienced heartbreak in their lives.


Line by Line Meaning

I caught myself again
I found myself in the same situation again


Laying in bed staring at your picture
Laying in bed, looking at your picture and thinking of you


I told myself I wouldn't do that anymore
I promised myself not to do it again, but I ended up doing it anyway


The afternoon is my morning
I start my day in the afternoon


It's almost 4 pm before I get up and drag myself out the door
It's almost 4 pm by the time I get myself out of bed


It's like my whole world is in slow-mo
My whole world is slow and monotonous


And I lost the one thing that made it go, oh, oh, oh
I lost the one thing that made my life exciting and joyful


So now I just walk around reliving that moment
I walk around, remembering a moment that I wish could happen again


I so lonely
I feel extremely lonely


If I knew then what I know now
If I had known back then what I know now


I wouldn't keep calling and hanging up
I wouldn't have kept calling and hanging up the phone


The answers always seem to come after the damage is done
Answers to my problems always come too late


Life's little way of laughing in your face
Life likes to mock and humiliate you


I can't un-break the broken heart
I can't fix my broken heart


So I sympathize by letting me fall apart, whoa oh
I let myself fall apart as a way of coping


And punishment
I deserve to be punished


I deserve for what I did, anything but this
I deserve to be punished, but not like this


Baby, slap me in my face, ignore me for three days
I'd rather be slapped and ignored for three days than feel so lonely


Please don't go and stay away
I don't want you to leave and stay away forever


I'm so lonely, lonely, oh ho, lonely, lonely, whoa oh
I'm incredibly lonely


I can do it baby, I can do it baby
I believe I can handle this on my own


I'm so lonely, so lonely
I'm so very lonely




Contributed by Wyatt B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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